Blade packaging



1948. N. TESTl BLADE PACKAGING Filed Nov. 25,. 1943 IN V EN TOR.v/Vc'cah/J 7561?, /W/

Patented May 25, 1948 TENT FFICE BLADE PACKAGING Nicholas Testi, Boston,Mass, assignor to Gillette Safety Razor Company, Boston, Mass, acorporation of Delaware Application November 26, 1943, Serial No.511,785

6 Claims.

This invention relates to the packaging for distribution of fine edgedblades, such as safety razor blades and particularly those protected bya cover of sheet material.

In handling safety razor blades under commercial conditions oftransportation and distribution and in the more or less casual treatmentof such blades by the user, the extremely fine keen edge of the blade islikely to become dulled by being brought into contact with its wrappingor with other objects before it can be actually clamped in shavingposition in the razor. On this account the best and most skillfulefforts of the manufacturer in sharpening blades are often brought tonaught because of the damage done to the very fragile and delicatestructure of the blade edge after it has been brought to the keenestpossible shaving condition and before the shaving operation is actuallyundertaken.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an efiicientand convenient form of packaging open-end razor blades, that is to say,blades having a longitudinal slot which opens through one unsharpenedend edge of the blade. An open-end blade of thin flexible steel has thecapacity of springing transversely at its open-end. Its two sideportions may be resiliently moved apart against slight resistance butwill at once resume normal position when the distortin force is removed.I take advantage of this characteristic in providing the novel packageand container of the present invention. The container may comprise anelongated enclosure of any description having top and bottom wallsbetween which extends a blade-locating and retaining device having onesection of such dimension that it may be received with clearance in theblade slot and another section of greater width which can be receivedonly in a wider aperture in the blade, such as an enlargement in theblade slot. A blade thus retained in a container or in packagedformation may be individually removed by temporarily springing apart theside portions of the blade. This procedure lends itself well to thepackaging of openend blades which are protected by a cover arranged tobe removed only when the blade has been fully located in the safetyrazor wherein it is to be used.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of several preferredembodiments thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown inthe accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective and on an enlarged scale of a packagecomprising a container and a stack of protected open-end blades enclosedtherein;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same package with portions broken away andshowing a blade partially removed from the enclosure;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective, with portions broken away, illustratinga modified form of container; V

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of still another form of container shownwith its parts inexploded relation; and

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the blade package in book form.

All of the views are drawn on an enlarged scale which is substantiallytwice actual size.

The invention is herein shown in its application to an open-end blade ofa well-known, commercial type, that is to say a double-edged blade Iiihaving both longitudinal edges sharpened for shaving and having in eachcorner a substantially rectangular recess defining at the ends of theblade elongated unsharpened portions H and iii. The blade is providedwith a central longitudinal slot l2 which opens out with flaring wallsthrough the elongated unsharpened portion IS. The slot I2 is provided ata convenient location in its length with a square or diamond-shapedenlargement Id disposed with its edges making an angle of substantially45 with a longitudinal axis of the blade. The slot I2 is also providedat its center with recesses forming a central circular enlargement I5for the reception of the stem of the cap of the razor. The slot I2 isalso provided in its length with a number of smaller enlargements ofdifferentsizes and terminates in enlargements giving the end of the slottransverse curvature.

Preferably and as herein shown each blade is protected by a cover ofsheet material IT. This cover is shaped to be folded over the shouldersadjacent to the end portion l3, extending above and beneath the bladeand a slight distance transversely beyond its sharpened cutting edges.At the other end of the blade the cover includes tongues which arefolded transversely over the end portion ll of the blade and thesetongues and the wrapper beneath them extend for a substantial distancebeyond the end of the blade. A convenient handle is provided in thismanner by which the individual blade may be grasped when it is to beremoved from its container or package and by which it may be presentedto the razor in which it is to be used.

line and having a bottom 29, upright side walls 2| and a, top wall 22made up of two inturned sides meeting throughout a portion of theirlength in the longitudinal axis of the container. Projecting from thebottom of the container is a straight narrow blade-locating rib 23, andin alignment with the rib and spaced from one end thereof is acylindrical stud 24 of greater diameter than the thickness of the rib.The two sides of the top 22 of the container are slotted to clear therib 23 and are correspondingly recessed at their meeting edges to clearthe stud 24. The cover 22 is also provided at one end with a rectangularnotch exposing the covered end of the blades and providing an openingthrough which theuser may grasp the uppermost blade for the purpose ofremoving it. The width of the rib 23 is such that it receives the slotl2 of the blade with clearance and the diameter of the stud 24 is suchthat it will fit freely into the enlargement [4 of the blade slot butwill not pass through the slot l2 without spreading the two sides ofthe-blade.

Ordinarily in assembling the blade package of Figs. 1 and 2 a stack offive to ten individual blades is placed in position upon the stud 24 andthe rib 23 before the two sides of the cover 22 are folded inwardly. Thecontainer is closed and the package completed by folding. the sides ofthe top into a horizontal position parallel to the bottom 20 and, sincethe stud and rib both pass upwardly above the plane of the top 22,individual blades can be withdrawn only by pulling them forcibly endwiseout of the container. In this operation the inclined side edges of theenlargement I4, in cooperation with the stud 24, act to pry apart thetwo side portions of the blade as suggested in Fig. 2 and in thiscondition the blades may be one by one forcibly disengaged from the stud24 and withdrawn from the container. As soon as the stud 24 has passedout of the blade slot l2 the sides of the blade spring back into theirnormal relationship.

In Fig. 3 is: shown an elongated container which may be constructed ofeither sheet metal or fiberboard or the like. It is similar in shape tothe container of. Figs. 1 and 2- except that it is not slotted orperforated for a rib or stud. It comprises a bottom 30, upright sidewalls 3| and a top 32 formed by folding the material of the containerinwardly at each side to a meeting line. Instead of a solidrib and studthe container of Fig. 3 is provided with askeletonrib 33 comprisingspaced sheet metal walls and these walls are provided. with projectingtongues 34- which may be passedthrough the top and bottom of thecontainer and clinched. At the left-hand end as shown in Fig. 3 theskeleton rib merges intothe form of a split cylinder 35 of greaterexternal diameter than the width of the rib- 33. The split cylinder or.boss 35 v has the function of the stud 24 in retaining the individualblades in stacked relationbut in removing a blade the resilient walls ofthe split cylinder are free to collapse somewhat so that the blade isreleased by the combined collapsing action of the cylinder walls and thesimultaneous separating movement of the sides of the blade. The top ofthe container is cut away at one end in a large rectangular notch sothat the wrapped ends of the blade are exposed beneath it and may bereadily reached by the user.

In assembling the blade packages of Figs. 1-3 a stack of assembledblades may be dropped over the stud 24 and the rib 23, or rib 33 and itssplit cylinder 35, before the container is closed, the step of closingthe container bringing the two sides of its top into their finalposition. When this has been done the blades may be removed onlyindividually by endwise movement with sufficient force to. spread theopen end of the blade or collapse the split cylinder in the package ofFig. 3;

In Fig. 4 my invention is shown as embodied in a tuck of the generaltype now used in dispensing four to ten blades. This package comprises arectangular cardboard enclosure dil'having end flaps 4| and 42 and anend portion 43 in its. body which is set off from the rest of theenclosure by a transverse slit and inclined row of perforations in eachside wall. so that the whole end of the enclosure may be broken offeasily by the thumb of the user. A thin rectangular base plate 44 isarranged to fit within. the enclosure 40 and is provided near one endwitha stud 45 which in diameter corresponds to the thickness of the rib23 and is freely received Within the slot 12 of the blade, and a stud45- of larger diameter which corresponds to the stud 24 having a-greaterdiameter than the slot l2- of the blade of such shape as to fit freelywithin the square-sided enlargement I4 of the blade slot. A stack ofcovered blades is shown as positioned by the studs 45 and 46 upon thebase plate 44 and this assembled stack is arranged to be pushed into theenclosure as a unit. The ends of the studs 45 and 45 then pass intospaced perforations provided for that purpose in the top of theenclosure. In this manner the loaded unit is retained within theenclosure where it may be sealed by folding inwardly the end flaps 4tand 42. When the end portion 43 of the enclosure is broken away the useris free to grasp the projecting ends of the folded cover H and forciblyremove one after another from the stack.

In Fig. 5 is shown an elongated pasteboard container of the book typecomprising upper and lower covers 50 connected by a vertexsection 5| setoff by transverse perforated lines. A tubular stud 52 of small diameterand a similar stud 53 of relatively large diameter extend between thetwo cover portions and are riveted in place. The stud 52 in diameterequals substantially the width of the longitudinal slot of the packageand the larger stud 53 fits into the square-sided enlargement I4 of thecovered blades contained therein in stacked formation. When it isdesired to remove a blade from this form of package the vertex section3| may be bodily torn away thus exposing the folded end of theprotective cover ll of each blade whereby the bladem'ay be grasped anddrawn forcibly out of its package.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail severalembodiments thereof for purposes of illustration I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A container for thin resilient razor blades of the type having alongitudinal slot opening through one end and an enlargement in the slotnear its open end, said container comprising an elongated enclosurehaving top and bottom walls for covering a stack of blades, and havingwithin it means fitting the blade slot for locating the stacktransversely, and a projection extending into both the top and bottomwalls of the enclosure and receiving the enlargement of the blade slotand being of greater width than the said slot-fitting means, saidprojection normally holding the blades against endwise movement andacting to spring the sides of a blade and widen its slot when the bladeis forcibly removed, one wall of the enclosure being recessed to permitthe user to grasp a blade for the purpose of removing it.

2. A package of open-end razor blades comprising an elongated enclosurehaving top and bottom walls, a narrow blade-locating rib and a studthicker than the rib entering both the top and bottom walls of theenclosure, and a stack of resilient blades, each having a longitudinalslot clearing said rib and including near one end an enlargement inwhich said stud'is received and whereby the blade is normally heldagainst lengthwise movement, said stud acting to spring the blade andincrease the width of its slot temporarily when the blade is forciblyremoved, the top wall of the enclosure being recessed to permit the userto grasp a blade for the purpose of removing it.

3. A package of open-end razor blades comprising an elongated enclosurehaving top and bottom walls and blade-locating means therein whichincludes a stud projecting into both the top and bottom walls of theenclosure and a stack of longitudinally slotted resilient blades, eachwith an enlargement near one end of its slot of dimensions to engagesaid stud, thereby retaining the blade yieldingly against longitudinaldisplacement and acting to spring the blade and widen its slot when theblade is forcibly removed, the top wall of the enclosure being recessedto afford access to the user for grasping and removing a blade.

4. A package of flexible open-end razor blades comprising an elongatedenclosure having at least upper and lower Walls spaced from each other,a narrow blade-locating projection located centrally in the enclosurebetween said upper and lower walls and a wide blade-locating projectionextending at both ends into the planes of the upper and lower walls ofthe enclosure, in combination with a stack of open-end blades, eachhaving a central longitudinal slot widening into an intermediateenlargement and receiving the wide projection therein while the narrowprojection is received by said slot, the individual blades of the stackbeing yieldingly movable in an endwise direction for removal from theenclosure and the wide projection acting to spring the blade andtemporarily open its slot when the blade is forcibly removed, the topwall of the enclosure having been recessed, thereby providing an openingthrough which the user may grasp a blade for the purpose of removing it.

5. A package of flexible razor blades comprising an elongated enclosurehaving top and bottom Walls and containing a detent extending at bothends into the planes of said walls, in combination with a stack ofprotected blades, each having an open-end aperture shaped to springaround said detent and being individually and yieldingly retained inplace in the package by engagement with the detent, the top wall of theenclosure being recessed to provide an opening through which the usermay grasp a blade for the purpose of removing it.

6. A package of flexible razor blades comprising an elongated enclosurehaving top and bottom walls and a stud therein extending at both endsinto the respective planes of said walls, in combination with aplurality of blades, each having a longitudinal open-end slot narrowerthan the stud and having an enlargement wide enough to accommodate thestud, the enlargement having stud-engaging walls inclined with respectto the longitudinal axis of the blade and acting to pry apart the sideportions of the blade when the latter is moved forcibly in an endwisedirection, the top wall of the enclosure being shaped to aiford the useraccess to the uppermost blade for the purpose of removing it.

NICHOLAS TESTI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,335,863 Sprinkell Apr. 6, 19201,801,224 Coleman Apr. 14, 1931 1,863,074 Swan June 14, 1932 1,909,919Testi May 16, 1933 1,911,627 Lashar May 30, 1933 2,342,160 Muros et a1.Feb. 22, 1944 2,362,504 Shnitzler Nov. 14, 1944 2,321,570 Billing June15, 1943

